Dental tooth-regulating appliance.



DBNT i TOOTH REGULATING APPLIANGE. ALIQATION HLED FEB.24,1909.

930,71 7 Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

monsw. IlA GRAHAM w.. PHMO-UYHDGRWMLIN wAsmmTbl. n. c.

'narran'. sr'ras PATEN EDWARD u. ANGLE', orLA-RoHMoN'r, NEwYoRK.

DENTAL Toorn-'RGULATING APPLIANCE.

i Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 10, 1909. Applicationined February ai, 1999.` serial No. 479,716.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. ANGLE, .acitizen of the United States,residing at Larchmont, in the county of TWestchester and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Im rovementin'DentalTooth-Regulating App iances; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of th'e invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to an improvement in dental teeth regulating ororthodontia ape pliances of the class comprising an 1 anchor member, aneXtensible delivery member and an adjusting nut for proj ecting ordistending said delivery member in respect to said anchor member.Appliances 4of this class when properly mounted upon teeth in the mouthmay, by suitable manipulation of the adjusting nuts, be placed undertension and pressure thereby applied to malposed or ir` regular teethfor the purpose of restoring thelrln to their normal position in thedental arc It is the object of my invention to rovide improved means forpreventing the acl'usting nuts of such appliances from beingaccidentally turned or backed away from the anchorl member; theimprovement in its various forms or embodiments being indicated intheaccompanying1 drawings, described in the following specification andpointed out in the claims at the conclusion thereof.

In said drawings :-Fig`ure l is a plan view of a dental arch indicatingan arch bar type of tooth regulator applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a viewpartly in longitudinal section and partly in side elevation, on agreatly enarged scale, of a portion of a tooth regulator indicating oneform of my improvement; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the anchor memberof said appliance. Fig. 4 is a view similar. to Fig. 2 of another formof my improvement; and Fig. 5 is an end view of the anchor memberthereof. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view indicating another formof my improvement; and Fig. 7 is an end view of the anchor memberthereof. Fig. S is a view partly in longitudinal section and partly inelevation of still another form` of my improvement; Fig. 9 is an endview of the nut; and Fig. 10 an end view of the anshowing p even anotherment.

chor member; Fig. 11 is a similar-view form of my improve-`Ieethregulating appliances of the class to Y whichmy present inventionis applicable are of two types, e.:-the arch bar type and the straightor jack screw type. An appliance ofthefirst named type is indicatedk inFig. 1 and consists of a curved or bowed arch bar 1, usually made ofspring material, and so called because, it is ofv approximately the sameform as the human dental arch, to

some of the teeth of which it is designedto be connected; and a pair ofanchor tubes 2,2, each of which has secured to it an anchor band 3. Thebands 3, 3, are designed to be securely attached to abutment or anchorteeth, such as themolars 4, t, which are not to be moved, but whichmaintain the anchor tubes in fixed position. The limbs of the arch bar 1are threaded for some distance from their ends, as at 5, the threadedportions being adapted to pass freely through the` smooth or unthreadedbores of the respective anchor tubes. Upon each limb of `the arch bar isan adjusting nut 6 working I Fig. 1 with the nuts bearing against theends of the anchor tubes, the arch bar may be distended or `projectedrelatively to the iiXed anchor tubes by turning the nuts in the properdirection. The nuts maybe turned continuously and the arch bar projecteduntil externalpressure is opposed to said arch bar sufficient to preventit from moving farther. Malposed or irregular teeth, such as theincisors indicated at 7, 7, may be gradually restored to their normalposition in the dental arch by means of this ap liance by securelyfattaching said teeth to t e arch bar, as by ligatures 8, 8, andgradually distending or projecting 'said arch bar by manipulation of theadjusting nuts 6, 6, in the manner above y indicated.

Because of the relation of the parts of the device it is pro er todesignate the immovable or relatlve y iXed anchor tubes 2, 2, as theanchor member and the extensible arch bar l as the delivery member.

The straight or jack screw type of regulator differs fromthe arch bartype in that the delivery member is straight instead of 1 being bowed orarched and the anchor member is composed of but a single anchor tube andband, or other form of tooth attachment. The arch bar type may properlybe called a double jack screw because it has two anchor tubes and twoadjusting nuts.

It is well known to Orthodontists and others familiar with orthodontiaor the art of tooth regulation, that a malposed or irregularlypositioned tooth is not restored to its normal or proper position in thedental arch by a single treatment; but that numerous treatments eXtending over a period of weeks and even months are usually required. At eachtreatment the appliance is readjusted, the delivery member being movedjust a little farther away from the anchor member each time, so that thetooth is movedvery slowly and gradually. lt is also well known in theart that after each adjustment of the appliance by means of theadjusting nuts, when the appliance and teeth are placed under tension,this tension gradually diminishes as the tooth yields, and if theappliance is not promptly readjusted and more tension applied, the toothmay yield to an extent that'practically takes all tension off theappliance. While the device is under tension there is more or less endthrust against the adjusting nut or nuts which are thereby preventedfrom accidental turning, but when the device is not under tension thenut or nuts is relieved of end thrust and may be freely turned. Thus,after the tooth has yielded and the appliance is practically under notension, there is no end thrust upon the nuts and under thesecircumstances they nuts may be readily backed away from the anchormember by the tongue or cheek of the patient until the adjustment of theappliance is seriously disarranged. 'llo prevent this accidental'turningor backing away of the nuts and the consequent disarrangement of theappliance, friction devices have already been provided. Such devicesconsist either of a cylindrical friction sleeve en the nut entering acylindrical socket'in the anchor tube, or a conical sleeve on said nutentering a conical socket in said tube.

The means I employ in my present invention for preventing the adjustingnuts from being accidentally turned or backed away from the anchormember consists of a connection Abetween the nut and anchor tube thatwill permit of the nut being turned for the purpose of projecting thedelivery member relatively to the anchor member, but which will preventsaid nut from being accidentally turned or backed away from said anchormember. This connection may be termed a swivel, by which is meant aconnection between the nut and anchor tube which permits of the formerbeing turned relatively to the latter, while the appliance is beingplaced under tension, but which pel'-l mits of no endwise movementbetween said nut and tube, except in seine cases by the application of aforce greater than that used in regulating the teeth. Broadly speaking,this swivel connection between the nut and tube is formed by an annulargroove in one and a lug on the other, adapted to engage said annulargroove.

ln Figs. 2 and 3 is illustrated a forni of connection in which theadjusting nut G is formed with a sleeve or extension E) having a pointedor coned end l() and an annular groove l1, said-nut also being formedwith a shoulder l2. The sleeve or extension El, the shape of whieliforms no part of my present invention, but which has telescopicconnection with the anchor tube, may be a cylindrical friction sleeve,such as is shown in Letters Patent No. (326,476, granted to nie June 6,i899; it may be a conical friction sleeve, or it may be a mere stud orextension of the nut without capacity of affording friction other thanthat provided by the swivel connection, as will be hereinafterexplained. The anchor tube 2 is fornied with a socket ll adapted toreceive the sleeve Sl of the adjust* ing nut, and is also forn'ied withan annular lug 14; adapted to engage the groove llv when the sleeve 9 isentered into the socket lv. For the purpose of forcibly connecting anddisconnecting the nut to and from the anchor tube, the latter may besplit at one or more points, as indicated at l5. .3y nia-king` the lugand groove rounded as shown in Fig. 2, the nut may be engaged with anddisengaged from. the anchor tube by forcibly pushing`- it j in andpulling` it out, but by inaliii'ig one side of the lug and correspondingside ol` the groove abrupt, as indicated in Fig. A, the nut may beintel-locked with the anchor tube by forcibly pushing it in, but canonly be disengaged therefrom by positively releasing the lug. The nut inthis case may be released by lifting the lug with the linger nail or asuitable implement. yPhe lug may be annular, as indicated in Figs. 2 and3, or it may bc located on what is equivalent to a spring tongue 1G cutin the anchor tube, as indicated in Figs. Lt and 5. instead of makingthis spring tongue integral with the anchor tube, it may be a separatepiece of spring` metal secured, as by soldering', to the eXterior of theanchor tube with its lug projectinO through an opening in said tube. ySuch a construction is indicated in Figs. 6 and 7.

ln Figs. 2, 3. i; and 5 the annular groove ll is near the shoulder l2 ofthe nut and the lug 14 is at er near the outer end of the anchor tube.ln Figs. 6 and 7 the groove is located near the end of the sleeve l) ofthe nut and the lug is situated at or near the bottom of the socket i3of the anchor tube. Still another modii'ication is shown in Figs. S, Qand 10. Here the groove il and the 'sedi/1"? sleeve 9 is formed in theanchor tube, while the lug 14 and socket are formed on'and in theadjusting nut. Y

All of the various forms of the connection above described provide forforcibly connecting and disconnecting the nut and anchor tube and maytherefore be termed detachable swivel connections. The lugs carried bythe spring tongues, by the split anchor tube, or by the split tubularnut extension, and which are adapted to be sprung into and out ofengagement with the annular groove, may each be termed a spring detent.

1n Fig. 11 is shown a simple form of swivel connection in which noprovision is made for disconnecting the nut from the anchor tube. Anannular groove 11 is formed in the nut sleeve 9 and the lug 14 whichengages said groove is formed by spinning the metal of which the anchortube is made into said annular groove. An appliance having thisnon-detachable form of nut connection can only be mounted upon the teethwhile the appliance is assembled, whereas in appliances having thedetachable nut connection, the anchor tubes may be separately secured tothe teeth,lafter which the delivery member with the adjusting nut ornuts thereon may be passed through the anchor tube or' tubes, themalposed tooth or teeth ligated thereto; and the adjusting nut or nutsforced into engagement with the anchor tube or tubes.

1n the practical application of an appliance having my improved nutconnection (assuming it to be of the arch bar type), the appliance isfirst mounted upon the teeth, either assembled or by separatelyfastening the anchor tubes to the anchor or abutment teeth andsubsequently inserting the delivery member into said anchor tubes andligating the malposed teeth to said delivery member. rlhe adjustingnuts, if not already connected, are next forcibly engaged with theanchor tubes and manipulated by means of a suitable wrench to project ordistend the delivery member until the appliance and the malposed teethare under proper tension. It will be understood that this isaccomplished by forcibly turning each nut with its shoulder 12 abuttingagainst the end of the anchor tube and receiving the end thrust thereof.Since the anchor tubes are immovably fixed and since the nuts turn onthe threads of the arch bar, the-effect will be to force the arch baraway from the anchor tubes, or to project or distend it in respect tosaid tubes. So long as the appliance is under tension the end thrustagainst the shoulder of the nut will be sufficient to prevent the nutfrom being accidentally turned or backed away from the anchor tube, aspreviously explained; but when the device is not under tension, whichtaires place after the malposed teeth have yielded sufliciently, the nutmay be accidentally turned or backed away unless some ymeans areprovided for preventing it. W hen my improved appliance is thus relievedof tension, the nut cannot turn in the reverse direction without movingthe nut endwise ina direction away from the anchor tube, owing to thethreaded connection between the nut and arch bar, and as the nut haspractically no endwise movement relative to the anchor tube and as theanchor tube is immovably fixed, the effect of the reverse turning of thenut will be to force one side of the annular groove of the swivelconnection against one side of the lug of said connection. The greaterthe force applied to turn the nut in the reverse direction, the

greater will be the friction between the parts of the swivel connection,the effect of which will be to offer resistance to the backward turningof the nut. This resistance will be ample to prevent all accidentalturning or backing away of the nut without in the least interfering withthe forward turning of the nut for adjusting or applying tension to theappliance.

l claim as my invention:

1. A dental tooth regulating appliance comprising a tubular anchormember designed to be held in a fixed osition relative to the otherparts of the app iance, a threaded delivery member ada ted to freelypass through said tubular ancfior member, an adjusting nut working uponsaid threaded delivery member and adapted to bear against the end ofsaid anchor member and a swivel connection between said adjusting nutand said anchor member.

2. A dental tooth regulating appliance comprising a tubular anchormember designed to be held in a fixed position relative to the otherparts of the appliance, a threaded delivery member adapted to freelypass through said tubular anchor member', an adjusting nut working uponsaid threaded delivery member and adapted to bear against the end ofsaid anchor member and a detachable swivel connection between saidadjusting nut and said anchor member.

3. A dental tooth regulating ap liance comprising a tubular anchor memer designed to be held in a fixed osition relative to the other parts ofthe app iance, a threaded delivery member ada ted to freely pass throughsaid tubular anc or member, an adjusting nut working upon said threadeddelivery member and adapted to bear against the end of said anchormember, an extension on said nut having telescopic connection with saidtubular anchor member, an annular groove on one of said parts and a lugon the other of said parts adapted to engage said annular groove, saidannular groove and lug forming a swivel connection between said nut andanchor member.

4. A dental tooth regulating appliance [comprising a tubular anchormember de-l signed to be lheld .in a fixed yposition relative to theother parts of Athe appliance, a .threaded .delivery member adapted tofreely Epass through said tubular anchor member, anadjusting nut Workingupon said :threaded delivery member andadapted to bear against the endof said anchor member, an extension on said nut having telescopicconnection with said tubular anchor member, an annular grooye jon one ofsaid parts, and a spring detent on .the other of said parts adapted toengage said annular groove, said annular groove and spring detentforming a detachable swivel conneetion'between said nut and 15 anchormember.

In testimony whereof I aHix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD H. ANGLE. Vitnesses:

CHAS. H. HEANIS, CARL F. PRoBs'r.

